1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to medical devices and sports equipment. More particularly, the present invention concerns an improved shoulder brace that limits abduction and external rotation of the shoulder yet permits the shoulder to extend, flex, horizontally adduct and horizontally abduct.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
One of the most common athletic injuries involves the shoulder. In particular, a significant number of amateur and professional athletes experience injuries that cause shoulder dislocation or subluxation. Those ordinarily skilled in the art will appreciate that nonsurgical treatment of a shoulder injury typically involves immobilization of the shoulder joint so as to permit healing of the surrounding soft tissue. In addition, such injuries tend to be chronic in nature, and steps must consequently often be taken to prevent recurring dislocation or subluxation during normal sports activity.
Those ordinarily skilled in the art will also appreciate that certain arm movements about the shoulder joint are more likely to cause dislocation or subluxation than others. For example, excessive shoulder abduction (generally vertical movement of the arm away from the midline of the body) and external rotation (various movements of the arm that cause outward twisting of the upper arm about its axis) are both likely to cause dislocation or subluxation of an injured shoulder. Moreover, an injured shoulder is particularly susceptible to dislocation and/or subluxation when these two types of movement are combined (e.g., when a baseball player winds up to throw the ball). On the other hand, some arm movements are highly unlikely to cause dislocation or subluxation after a shoulder injury. For example, flexion (generally forward swinging of the arm about the shoulder joint), extension (generally rearward swinging of the arm about the shoulder joint), horizontal adduction (generally horizontal movement of the arm toward the midline of the body), and horizontal abduction (generally horizontal movement of the arm away from the midline of the body) are all unlikely to cause dislocation or subluxation of the shoulder. It also noted that these types of movement facilitate and are normally associated with a number of shoulder movements used in a variety of sporting activities, such as running and skating (flexion and extension of the shoulder) or swinging of a racket or hockey stick (horizontal adduction and horizontal abduction).
Conventional nonsurgical treatment typically involves placement of a brace on the body to at least partly immobilize the shoulder joint. In most instances, the arm associated with the injured shoulder is connected to the trunk of the body to limit movement of the shoulder. However, traditional braces tend to be overly restrictive, especially when the brace is being used as a preventative device simply to prevent recurring dislocation or subluxation. In other words, although traditional braces effectively prevent or limit movement that might cause shoulder dislocation and subluxation, they also prevent or limit movement that is not likely to cause dislocation or subluxation and that might be desirable during athletic activities. For example, a majority of conventional shoulder braces include an arm band or strap fixed to the torso, thereby limiting abduction and external rotation ofthe shoulder, but also preventing the shoulder from flexing, extending, horizontally abducting and horizontally adducting. These overly restrictive shoulder braces may consequently inhibit an athlete's involvement in a sport.